Husker gameday: a culinary guide to eat and drink your way through the day
It’s finally football season and that means most of Lincoln will be spending a good portion of their Saturdays in a small area between 10th street and 14th street. I won’t be any different, I haven’t missed a home game since I came to UNL for college in 1999. Nebraska also hasn’t won a conference title since that year so maybe I’ve cursed them … but let’s not go there. While I love the Huskers and I enjoy cheering them on in person, the real reason behind my sustained streak is everything that a home game brings with it: a really fun day full of eating, drinking and watching sports in one of the best atmospheres in the nation.
Tailgating is fun, but if you want to do that, go somewhere like Iowa State (been there, it’s fun) or Ole Miss (never been there, but looks REALLY fun). They tailgate really well. Nebraska does just fine with the tailgating scene, but one of the things that makes a Nebraska gameday experience different from most is the stadium’s proximity to downtown Lincoln and all of the food and drink that go with it.
Let’s be honest, there are some, but not many things in Lincoln that would make their way into a “best {something} in the world” conversation. Aside from a “best town in the world named Lincoln” convo, a Nebraska football gameday absolutely deserves some consideration when having a “best sports atmosphere’s in the world” conversation. Hopefully I can help make your experience great, as you can see, I’ve done a lot of intense research on this subject. But I’m not giving out my parking secrets, sorry.
Friday Night: Misty’s
Friday before every home game, the Nebraska marching band and the cheerleaders head to Misty’s in Havelock for a pseudo pep-rally. You can go to just grab a drink and watch and it’s definitely worth it. If you go that route, plan on standing in a fairly crowded bar area. If you want to sit down and also eat while watching the festivities, get there early, like 4:00 or earlier. The band doesn’t get there until 7 or so, so you’ll have plenty of time to get a seat, but also a burger or steak while you wait. I’ve seen plenty of opposing fans attend, so don’t worry about going if you’re not for Nebraska, they’ll treat you well and it’s something everyone who enjoys college football needs to do (at least) once.
What you’re getting: Prime rib and a Modern Monks Belgian IPA.
11 a.m. game: Bread & Cup and the farmer’s market
Everyone seems to hate 11 a.m. games because they have to get up too early. No doubt, to make a real experience out of an 11:00 game you need to get up early. You probably want to be in your seat by 10:30 at the latest, which means to get downtown, get parking, eat and walk to the stadium, you probably need to start your day and be out the door by 7 or 7:30. That’s not too early, right? If the game is early enough in the year that the farmer’s market is still going on in the Haymarket (it runs through October 15), find parking and head there. You can walk around and find plenty of vendors with some really good breakfast. But when I hear an 11 a.m. start time announced, instead of the negative reaction most have, one thing pops into my head: I get to have breakfast at Bread & Cup!! Bread & Cup is up there with my favorite places in Lincoln for lunch and dinner, but oh boy do I love their breakfast. They also have small, but very nice local & Belgian beer selection. So grab some food and an early morning beer then head to the stadium.
What you’re ordering: If you like a lot of pork all at once, get the porklandia. Otherwise whatever special they’re putting their homemade butterscotch syrup on and a Tripel Karmeliet. [Edit, during a recent visit I found out they stopped carrying their big bottles of beer, which means no Karmeliet. So go with a Zipline Copper Alt, but help me out and complain to them about not having the Karmeliet].
2:30 game: Lazlo’s
I like get down to the Haymarket around 10 or so for a 2:30 game. That should give plenty of time to find a spot to eat before the crowd comes in and also time to grab lunch before going to the game. There are plenty of good places to eat but I usually end up at Lazlo’s. Sit in the bar area and it has the perfect combo, local craft beer, TVs to watch the other college football games of the day and some really solid food. Get downtown too late to get into Lazlo’s? Born in a Barn, Leadbelly and Culinary Underground are on deck.
What you’re ordering: Pub club with fries and honey mustard dipping sauce and whatever Carpe Brewem beer they have on tap.
Night game: Yia Yia’s, Jake’s, Railyard
When heading out for a night game, it’s hard for me to not start you out with Lazlo’s again for lunch. But there are plenty of other great places to eat around the stadium and since we’re talking about a night game you have a lot of time to explore. So I’m going to start out at Yia Yia’s for lunch. They are a little ways away from the action in the Haymarket but that’s not bad, you’ll actually easily be able to find a seat. There are no TVs to watch football there, but that’s what your phone is for these days. Yia Yia’s has great pizza and a very large and very well curated beer selection. A perfect combination.
What you’re ordering: A slice of the Polynesian, a slice of the Greek and a beer from their rotating tap list.
Next make a short walk to Jake’s. The atmosphere is definitely cool, but the real reason to go is their always awesome tap list. It’s definitely one of the best in town. Oh, and get a cigar, it’s good luck I promise. Down in the dumps 3-6 Nebraska beat 7-0 and top 5 Michigan State last year after I had a cigar at Jake’s before the game. I refuse to be convinced that it’s just a coincidence.
After Jake’s, walk down to the Railyard, a large outdoor area with a big screen in the Haymarket. Hang out, have a beer, play some lifesize Jenga and do some people watching. There are quite a few places to grab a good drink or some food in the area if you’re getting hungry again.
Since everyone hates that drunk guy in the stadium and an entire day of drinking can be tricky, make sure you pace yourself. So in the interest of not being too tipsy once you make your way to the stadium, next I would recommend a non-drinking activity like heading to the east side of Architecture hall to watch the drumline perform. I believe they start 1.5 hours before kickoff. After they are finished you can watch the rest of the band march to the stadium. Quite a scene and every time I see it, it just feels like college football and makes me excited for the game.
During the game: Valentino’s & Runza
Did I not give you enough pre-game options? You still want to eat during the football game? Well you’re in luck, I have opinions about that too. Two Lincoln (and Nebraska) staples are Valentino’s and Runza. If you are visiting from out of town, the stadium is a great place to try them instead of needing to making a special trip. A Runza is sort of like a beef & cabbage hot pocket, which may sound weird if you haven’t had one. But people who grew up here love them, including me. They’re great. But there are few things better in this world than sitting in a cold stadium (while watching Nebraska score their 10th touchdown against Kansas) and getting that warm slice (or two) of Valentino’s pizza to warm you up. It’s a really simple slice of pizza and probably won’t make my list of the best slices of pizza in Lincoln but it just makes me happy every time I have one. It’s the small things. If it’s not cold outside, you should probably end with some awesome UNL Dairy Store ice cream too.
What you’re ordering: A slice of Valentino’s pizza.
After the game
If you’ve been out all day eating, drinking and sitting through a football game, you might want to go home and sleep or just relax. No worries, this is where I will typically call it a day too. But that doesn’t mean that there’s not a lot of fun stuff to do. So if you’re going out after the game it’s decision time. Which direction you go depends on what you are looking for. If you enjoy a more laid back bar, you may be better suited to somewhere in the Haymarket. But if you enjoy the college type-bar with a lot of people, O street is your gig. After a game there are plenty of “old” or non-college people that make their way down there, so if you’re over 25 you don’t have to worry too much about being the “old” guy in a sea of college kids. Each bar on O street has it’s own unique twist, so try to go to more than one, but if it’s up to me, go to Sandy’s to get some Elk Creek juice and then Duffy’s for a fish bowl. If the fish bowl makes you hungry, you can also get a great Ali Baba gyro through the window in the back of Duffy’s. There are also a few other awesome places to stop by on O street (one of them being Yia Yia’s that I talked about earlier). But When out on O street late, do as the college students do, get a slice of Lazari’s Pizza or go to Amigos for a crisp meat burrito. Amigo’s is a fast food restaurant so not the height of culinary excellence but it’s been a post-O street favorite for years and somehow becomes magical at 2 in the morning.
What you’re ordering: The Randy Ross from Lazari’s
My O street days are gone, so if I go out after the game, I go the other direction to the Haymarket. Just like O street, most places will probably also fill up with a lot of people. I mean there was just a game with 90,000 people so quite a few people are going to find their way almost everywhere in the downtown area. But you will be able to find places that are more relaxed and grown up if that’s what you seek. Head to Hiro 88 for the best of both worlds. It’s a sushi restaurant (with plenty of awesome non-sushi items if that’s not your thing) so it’s not going to be as packed as a lot of the sports bar-type places. But it’s right next door to the railyard so you still get all of the atmosphere of being part of the gameday experience. Sit outside if there are seats and it’s nice outside.
What you’re ordering:
Tags: Ali Baba, Amigos, Bread & Cup, Duffy's, Farmer's Market, Hiro 88, Jake's, Lazari's, Lazlo's, Misty's, Railyard, Runza, Sandy's, Valentino's, Yia Yia's
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Like I wasn’t already excited enough for football! 3 weeks! 🔴⚪️🏈🌽